Mary J. Blige Opens Up About Choosing Not to Have Any Children: ‘I Saw a Lot of People Struggling’

"I see a lot, you know, my family members needing babysitters and them not having a choice, no freedom," she said.

Mary J. Blige attends as Lifetime hosts the world premiere of "Mary J. Blige Presents: Be Happy" at Hearst Tower on February 04, 2026 in New York City.

Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for Lifetime

Mary J. Blige’s musical influence birthed plenty of R&B artists in the ’90s and into the turn of the century, but the R&B icon opened up about not having any biological children of her own.

Blige joined Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson’s IMO podcast on Wednesday, where she reflected on her decision to not have kids.